


Finding You Was Bittersweet (Because It Meant I Now Had Something To Lose)

by millsx



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Basically no angst, Buzzfeed AU, Doctor! Louis, Fluff, Fluffy, M/M, Very very fluffy, doctor! harry, hospital au, larry stylinson - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:41:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22100476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/millsx/pseuds/millsx
Summary: Harry looks at Louis again. He pushes himself off the wall he was leaning against, his hoodie sleeves are pushed up a little, showing off the tattoos on his forearms. In the too bright light of the men's bathroom, his skin doesn't seem as tan as it did a few hours ago, it looks really, really fair. And his eyes. Deep, ocean blue eyes, glittering with laughter and happiness.When Harry agreed to participate in a BuzzFeed video, he didn't expect that it would have any consequences. It was basically just a favor, he owed Niall one anyway.But then there is Louis, witty, intelligentbeautifulLouis, and Harry thinks he might just forget how to breathe.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Perrie Edwards/Zayn Malik, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne
Comments: 9
Kudos: 197





	Finding You Was Bittersweet (Because It Meant I Now Had Something To Lose)

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Italiano available: [Finding you was bittersweet (because it meant I now had something to lose) - Italian translation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27208282) by [As_ka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/As_ka/pseuds/As_ka)



> Hi guys!  
> I'm back with a little fic for you.   
> I got the idea for this fic from the 1Live YouTube channel, it's a German one, where they do a series called "Dumm Gefragt" which basically means "Stupid Questions to... *insert group of people here*".   
> I hope you'll enjoy this.   
> mills xx

Harry's halfway through his lunch break when his phone starts ringing. He shoots an apologizing look to Zayn and Perrie, who are sitting across from him at the cafeteria table. 

"No worries, it's fine", Perrie tells him between two bites. 

"Okay, thanks", Harry gets up to take the call outside. It's fall in Los Angeles, the sun is shining golden through the leaves in the park when he steps outside. 

"Harry Styles", he answers the phone without looking at the display. 

"Harry, mate! It's me. Listen, I have a question for you", Niall's cheery voice comes through the speaker. 

Niall and Harry have been friends since the night Harry moved head over heels to Los Angeles, with no place to live. Over a friend of a friend he found out that Niall was looking for a roommate anyway, and luckily for him, Niall wasn't a serial killer or a psycho as Harry's mum had suspected, but a very nice Irish bloke, who tended to drink too much beer and talk a little too loud. They still share an apartment, but upgraded to a bigger one last year, when Harry got a promotion and Niall finally became a producer at BuzzFeed. 

Harry moved to Los Angeles all these years ago because he got a spot in the med school of UCLA unexpectedly, and they told him he needed to start right away, so he packed up his things and drove all the way to L.A. It was the best decision he ever made. 

"And your question couldn't wait until I'm home tonight?", Harry asks, chuckling. 

"Shit, sorry. Am I interrupting something?" 

"Nah, you're fine. What's up?" 

"Okay, so, remember when I had this idea to make a video where I let certain groups answer to stereotypes? Like "stoners answer assumptions about them" or something?"

"I remember. I also remember that we were very drunk that night, and that you almost locked us out", Harry answers, smiling at the memory. It was a couple of weeks ago, and they went home after going to the pub with some of Niall's friends and apparently, Niall had a beer too much and almost broke the lock when trying to unlock the door. 

"Not the point, Hazza. Anyway, we had a meeting yesterday and I told them about my idea, and guess what? Everyone loved it! Turns out I'm a genius, and we might make it into a series, depending on how the audience reacts to it" Niall's voice is excited, and Harry can picture his face exactly. 

"That's great! Wow, who thought that your drunk thoughts were worth anything", Harry laughs. 

"Excuse me?", Niall asks in mock offense, but then starts cackling right away. "The first video is supposed to be about doctors, and since you are one, I figured you'd maybe do it?" 

The thing is, Harry has watched every video Niall's ever been in or directed, and Niall always tells him about the process of making them, but Harry never thought about being in one himself. But Niall is his best friend, and he owes him a favor for everything he's ever done for him. Plus, his own video series is kind of a big deal. 

"Yeah, I'm in", he says, smiling to himself. 

"Yes! You're the best!" 

"I know, I'm pretty amazing" Harry glances at his watch, startling. "Jesus, Niall. I need to go, my break is over. Talk to you later?" 

"Later. Go save lives, doc" 

***

A week later, Harry is wandering around BuzzFeed headquarters, trying to find the room Niall told him he'd need to go to. 

Over the past few days, the temperature dropped significantly, and Harry put on a green sweater this morning, that makes his eyes - according to is mum - stand out, and a ripped black jeans. He put on a lined jean jacket over it, but he was still freezing the entire day. In his bag he's carrying his "doctor stuff" as Niall called it this morning when he told him to bring it with him. 

"You must be Harry, right?", a woman with black curls and chocolate brown skin interrupts his train of thoughts. 

"That's me. Am I late? Niall is shit at giving directions, so I'm a bit lost here", Harry admits.

"You're good, don't think about it. I'm Leigh-Anne, I'm co-directing today's video", she tells him, guarding him down a different hallway, then another, until they're in front of a door with a sign on it that indicates that they're shooting in there. Harry can hear Niall's loud laugh from outside the room, so he's not surprised when he spots his best friend as soon as the door opens. 

"Harry, hi! I see you've already met Leigh-Anne, and this guy right here is Liam" 

Harry offers him a smile, that Liam acknowledges with a nod and a reciprocal smile. 

"You're gonna be shooting this video with Louis, so you have someone to discuss the questions with, but he's not here yet. If you want to, we can get a few test shots?" 

Harry's grateful for the test shots, they give him the opportunity to get comfortable in front of the camera. 

"Louis's here, I'm gonna go get him, before he gets lost. I doubt he has a sense of orientation at all", Liam tells them after taking a look at his phone. 

"Okay, Harry, put on your lab coat thingy. I don't want to lose any time, you're the last ones shooting today", Niall orders, and Harry gets his doctor's overall out of his bag and puts it on. 

A second later, Liam comes back with someone who appears to be Louis. He's rather small, and looks somewhat boy-ish, wearing a hoodie that's a tad too big and carrying a backpack. Messy brown hair is poking out from under a beanie. The second thing Harry notices is when Louis starts talking to Niall. His accent. It's British, maybe Yorkshire? 

Harry's family moved to America when he was twelve, so he's lost his accent a long time ago, but hearing something so familiar to him still tugs at his heart sometimes. 

"Louis, can you take that hoodie off and put on that thing Harry's also wearing?", Leigh-Anne asks, causing Louis to pay attention to Harry for the first time since he entered the room, and Harry just gives him a small wave, suddenly feeling very awkward in his chair in front of the camera. 

"Of course", Louis says, pulling his hoodie over his head, making his shirt ride up a little and exposing tanned skin. Harry tries really hard to not stare at him. 

"Okay, guys. It'd be cool if you, like, started with introducing yourselves to the camera and what you do for a living, maybe even what field you specialize in. And then we do a cut, and then you start drawing notes from that jar over there in turns, read them out loud and then discuss them. Questions?", Leigh-Anne takes over, while Liam positions himself behind the camera again. 

"I think we're good to go. Louis?"

"Yeah, I'm ready" 

"Aaand go!" 

"Hi, I'm Louis Tomlinson and I'm a neurosurgeon" 

"I'm Harry Styles and I'm a pediatric oncologist, which is just a fancy way to say that I'm treating children with cancer" 

"And we'll react to your assumptions about doctors", Louis ends, smiling brightly into the camera. 

"Cut! Perfect, you two. Let's go on with the questions. Harry, you start", Niall advises, nodding contently. 

Harry leans forward to get the first note. "Here we go: "You just went into medicine because your entire family are doctors" Well, I guess I get where this comes from, because a lot of med students or doctors just do what their entire family is doing, but for me it's not true at all. In fact, I'm the first doctor in my entire family", Harry answers, then leans back in his chair to look at Louis. 

He scrunches his nose, like he's still thinking about it, and then pushes his fringe out of his eyes. "I mean, my mum's a nurse, so it's kind of true? I grew up watching her work really hard to make others feel better, so that's when I decided to study medicine" 

They pause for a second, Harry smiling at Louis. 

"Next one?", Louis then asks no one in particular, drawing a note out of the jar in front of them. ""You all drive big and expensive cars to work" I mean", Louis pauses to laugh, and when he does, his face crinkles around his eyes. It's really mesmerizing to watch. "Guilty as charged? But, to be fair, everyone in L.A. drives big cars, so why would we be the exception? Plus, when I still lived in London, I took the tube everyday"

"I guess I'm guilty too. But I drove a really, really shitty car until, like, three months ago" Harry looks at Niall, who's cackling behind the camera at the memory of the car. Harry bought it when he turned nineteen, right before he moved to Los Angeles, and it was broken more often than not. It's a wonder it's survived all these years. 

They answer a couple more questions after that, some more accurate than others, and some plain offensive. Like he'd ever rip off patients just to make money, his patients suffer enough already. Harry still gets mad just thinking about it. 

"Let's clean up and get out of here!", Niall calls out after they've wrapped up. "Who wants to go grab a bite?" 

They all end up going to a restaurant a few blocks over, where they order burgers and beer. They talk a lot, and even though Harry has heard a lot of stories about Leigh-Anne and Liam, he never actually met them, so it's fun to get to know Niall's colleagues. 

At one point, Leigh-Anne and Niall get into a fight about wether pickles belong on a burger (they do), and end up throwing curly fries at each other's faces. It's ridiculous. 

Liam acts like an embarrassed dad, apologizing to a waitress that's walking by, but she just laughs and shrugs. Harry glances at Louis, who's sitting across from him beside Liam, and catches him looking at him. Harry bites down on his lower lip as they lock eyes. Louis smiles at him and shrugs, and Harry lets out a breath of air sounding like a tiny laugh. 

"I'm in! Harry?" Around them, the conversation seems to have gone on, and now Niall's looking at him with a question mark on his face. 

"Sorry?" 

"D'you want to come along? We're going to a pub around the corner", Niall repeats the question. 

Harry shrugs. "I don't have to be at the hospital 'til tomorrow night, so why not?" 

"Me neither", Louis says, not averting his gaze from Harry. 

It's a made deal then, they split the bill, and then walk over to said pub, talking loudly on their way. That's when Harry learns that Louis' family still lives in the U.K. and that he just moved six months ago, after he got offered a job at Good Samaritan Hospital. 

"I worked there for a couple of months", Harry tells him. It was more like an internship right after uni, but it helped him a lot to gain ground in the world of hospitals. 

The conversation carries on lightly until they reach the pub and ordered the first round of drinks. 

"Alright, you two!", Niall chimes in. "No more work talk for the rest of the evening!" 

A couple beers later, Harry feels like his brain is made out of cotton candy. This is what you get for working so much and never going out anymore, he thinks to himself. Plus, he was never good at handling his liquor, he'd always been the first person to be drunk, especially besides Niall who seems to have a liver made out of steel. 

"I'm drunk", Harry declares to the others, gaining a few laughs.

"Me too, babe, me too", Leigh-Anne tells him, giggling. 

"'M going to the toilet", Harry mumbles, but when he gets up, the world seems to turn a little faster all of the sudden, causing him to stumble a little. 

"Careful", a voice tells him, simultaneously steading him with a soft but firm grip at his waist. It's Louis, smiling at him. 

He ends up guiding him to the toilets, which is kind of embarrassing, but Harry is too tipsy to care about that. 

"You're, like, really pretty", Harry says, when he washes his hands and Louis is leaning beside the sink. 

It could be imagination, but Harry thinks he can see him blush a little. 

"Thank you, Drunky McDrunk", Louis answers, smiling fondly. 

"I'm not that drunk, just really tipsy" 

"Keep telling yourself that, honey", Louis says, smirking. 

"'M really not" 

"Okay, okay. You're not" Louis laughs a little. "Let's go back to the table, shall we?" 

Harry looks at Louis again. He pushes himself off the wall he was leaning again, his hoodie sleeves are pushed up a little, showing off the tattoos on his forearms. In the too bright light of the men's bathroom, his skin doesn't seem as tan as it did a few hours ago, it looks really, really fair. And his eyes. Deep, ocean blue eyes, glittering with laughter and happiness. 

"Your eyes" 

"My eyes what?", Louis says, still smiling. Maybe his smile is endless. He grabs Harry's arm, trying to pull him towards the bathroom door. 

"They're blue"  
"Appears to be"

"No, just- I didn't notice before"

"You're cute when you're drunk, Styles. Let's get you back to the other, okay?" 

*** 

Harry wakes up the next morning not quite remembering what happened after that. He knows that he and Niall stumbled more than walked home, leaving their respective cars at BuzzFeed headquarters. 

Checking the clock on his phone, Harry grumbles and buries his head in his pillow. It's only seven in the morning, and today is his free morning. His shift doesn't start until four in the afternoon, and when he started his job, he used to sleep until noon on those days. But now, a few years into it, it doesn't matter how tired he is, his body will be awake at half past seven, eight at the latest. It kind of sucks, even if it means he actually gets to have time to himself. 

When he finally manages to force himself out of bed, Niall already left for work, that poor guy. Harry texts him, asking him if he needs anything from the grocery store. The fridge is empty, apart from a block of cheese and two beer bottles. It's not like Harry is hungry, he decides then, his body is still dealing with the leftover alcohol from last night anyway. 

Harrys calls himself a Uber to get to BuzzFeed to get his car. He's still waiting for an answer from Niall, when his phone vibrates with a text from an unknown number. 

_Hungover?_

_Not really_ , Harry texts back. _Just a little nauseated at most_

_Good. It’s Louis btw_

_I figured_

Somehow, they end up texting for the entire day. 

Later, when Harry goes to work at the hospital, he glances on his screen between appointments and staff meetings, fully aware that Louis is working as well. Which just makes him smile more whenever he gets a text back. 

_How long are you working tonight?_ , he reads during his break. It's just after ten pm, and the staff room is empty except for two nurses and Perrie, who's flipping through files on the couch across from him. 

_Nightshift, I get off at six_ , Harry texts back. He actually grew to like the nightshift, even though he still prefers working at daylight. As everyone does. 

To be honest, Harry forgets about his phone after that. He's busy with a patient that has trouble breathing, and after then he has to check up on a kid that got out of emergency surgery a couple of hours ago. The parents are worried, of course they are, but Harry manages to calm them down a little. If he was them, he'd be worried too.

But then, when he says goodbye to the parents, his phone rings.

"Which floor are you on?"

"Excuse me?", Harry asks into the speaker, a little confused. 

"It's Louis. Which floor are you on?"

"Four", he answers, still perplexed. What is happening?

But a second later, the elevator doors open, and standing there is Louis, holding a cardboard box with two coffees in it. He's wearing a white button up and a loosened tie that tells Harry he probably just got off from work. Something inside of him winces.

"I brought you coffee. You seemed like you might need it", Louis tells him with an askew smile on his face.

"I seem tired over text messages? I thought I was hiding it well", Harry replies, grinning sheepishly.

"Nope, you look like a dead frog"

"Charming"

Harry guides him into the staff room, silently praying that it's empty. He couldn't bear nosy looks from either Perrie or Zayn or anyone else. 

Surprisingly, it is fairly empty, except for a nurse who nods at him and then goes back to making himself a cup of tea. 

"Thanks for the coffee", Harry tells Louis and lets himself flop down on the nearest couch. His legs hurt already, and it's midnight. 

"I know you probably have a coffee maker somewhere 'round here but if yours is anything like ours, no one wants to drink that", Louis says, sitting down next to Harry and setting the coffee cups carefully on the table in front of them. 

"It's fine, I guess. But some change now and then doesn't hurt anyone", Harry says. 

"I got off like half an hour ago, and Liam once mentioned where you work, so... Here I am. 'Hope that's okay with you" 

"More than okay" 

They talk, until their cups are empty (Louis is actually drinking tea) and Louis almost falls asleep on the couch. Harry talks him into going home, he has to go back to work anyway. 

"Thanks again", Harry says quietly. He walked Louis to his car that's parked on the visitor deck and now they're standing right in front of it. 

"'Was happy to see you. Especially since you were sober this time", Louis answers, suddenly seeming a little more shy. It's endearing. 

"Oh, shut up" But Harry smiles brightly at him and Louis looks all soft and tired underneath the street lights and Harry's heart just twists. 

It's like he's not actually controlling his movements when he reaches forward to push Louis' fringe out of his face. His hair feels soft between his fingers, and Harry stops for a second to decide wether that's a creepy thought. But then the corners of Louis's smile twist up a little, and Harry feels himself leaning forward a few centimeters. 

Louis ducks away quickly, turning his face and then, out of nowhere, kissing Harry's cheek. 

"I don't kiss before the first date", he says, and disappears into his car in one quick motion. 

***

"I'm not imagining things, right?", Harry asks, frowning. 

"No, you're not. That was a really obvious hint that you should ask him out", Perrie says on the other end of the line. 

It's around noon, and Harry just woke up. After six hours of sleeping like he's in a coma, he's not exactly sure wether last night really happened or if it was just a dream. Mildly panicking, he called Perrie who assured him that she'd seen Louis with her own two eyes as they left the hospital. 

"But wouldn't that be weird? For all I know, he could be a total dick. I don't even know him", he argues and moves to the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee. God, he's tired. His legs feel like they're made out of brick and his back hurts. He needs to start going to the gym regularly again. 

"Harry. He brought you coffee after his shift ended instead of going home. There's noway he is a dick, he's clearly smitten. Plus, dates are made to get to know the other. If he somehow turns out to be a prick, you can still blow him off. One date doesn't necessarily have to mean anything. I went on a date with Zayn once, remember? And look at us now, we're best friends, but nothing ever really happened between us"

That's right. Perrie and Harry went to UCLA together, and when they first started at their job, Perrie had a tiny crush on Zayn and they went out on one very awkward date, deciding right after that it'd be better to just stay friends.

Harry presses _Start_ on the coffee machine, watching as hot coffee is dripping into his cup. 

"Okay, I guess. So how do I do this? Do I just, I don't know, call him?"

"Is this the first time you ever dated anyone? I can't plan out the entire date for you" 

" _Rude._ It's just been a while since I dated. To be exact, I don't think I've been on a real date since Zach and I broke up", Harry explains and sips on his coffee. 

"Right, Zach. I almost forgot about him. But honestly, you're going to figure something out"

Harry sighs. "I guess so. Thanks for the talk" 

"I'm always there for you, bub. Call me when you have any updates" 

"I will" 

***

"Okay, but did you know the pianist was _blind_? Like, that's insane. And look how he's playing!"

Niall and Harry are lounging in their living room, watching a X Ambassador concert on the TV. Niall just found out that the pianist is blind, and now just won't stop gushing about it. 

"I know. It's crazy, right? I'm trying to imagine how they write their songs, it's gotta be-" Harry's sentence is interrupted by the British national anthem, and his heart skips a beat. 

"Jesus, is that your ringtone for Louis?", Niall asks, cackling. 

"Maybe?", Harry answers, shifting a little to somehow fish his phone out of his back pocket. 

"You're a big dork, Hazza" 

Harry mumbles something, finally taking the call and getting up from the couch. 

"Hello?" 

"Hi, it's Louis. 'You busy?" 

Harry almost trips over a rug walking to his room but manages to catch himself in the last second, Niall's laughter emerging from the background. 

"'M not, what's up?", he asks, when he manages to steady his breath again. 

"Nothing, really. Just wanted to talk to you" Louis sounds shy, even over the phone. Which is something that doesn't really fit into Harry's image of the witty and smart Louis he has. 

"Good. I mean, that's fine. I mean, we can talk" _Jesus, Harry, pull yourself together. You're not fifteen_ , he thinks to himself. He can hear Louis giggle. 

"Actually, I have a proposition for you", he says. 

"I'm listening" 

Harry fiddles with the hem of his sweater as he talks. "So, Niall told me the video comes out next Friday. I was wondering, uh, maybe we could watch it together, if you want?", he pauses for a second. "We could, I don't know, order pizza and have a chill evening?" 

Chill? Who the hell says chill? 

"I'm- Of course. I'd love to, actually" Louis' voice is warm and soft and Harry definitely shouldn't feel this way about him two weeks after meeting him. 

***

Three days later, Harry is on his way to pick up the pizzas he ordered for Louis and him at his favorite Italian restaurant. He feels quite anxious, that's what he also told Niall. 

He knows he like Louis, but that's also a little nerve-wracking. What is if things go all wrong? 

Upon entering the pizzeria, he notices that the place is pretty packed. All the tables are occupied, and there's a line at the front desk with people waiting for a table. It's a tiny, rustic restaurant with brick walls and an original bread oven that you can see from the seating area. 

"Excuse me, Miss?", he asks a waitress. "I ordered two pizzas over the phone, are they ready yet?" 

"If you give me your name, I can check on that", she offers, a faint smile on her face. 

"That'd be nice. I ordered them on the name Styles" 

"I'll be back in a second" 

It takes her definitely longer than a second, and when she does come back, she tells him that he needs to wait for five to ten more minutes. Harry tells her it's fine, it's not her fault and the restaurant seems pretty busy. So he just leans against the wall, texts Louis that he's going to be a bit late and just watches the people at the table. 

That's when he notices two young boys, maybe seventeen, sitting at a table in the corner to his left. The way they interact with each other seems so familiar to Harry, and at first, he can't quite put his finger on what it actually is. But then, he understands. 

They're sitting at the edge of the tables, so that they're not quite next to each other but also not across from each other. And, what strikes Harry the most, their pinkies are intertwined, so subtly that it's hard to notice. Harry smiles to himself as he watches them talk to each other over the menus. 

"Horrible, innit?", a voice behind him suddenly says. 

Harry turns around, eyeing up the woman talking. She's maybe forty, with blonde dyed hair big earrings. 

"Excuse me?", Harry says, clearing his throat. In his head, he's begging for her to say something different than what he's expecting. 

"Those two boys over there. Publicly displaying their their relationship like that's _normal_. For heaven's sake, there are children around"

Harry watches her with an open mouth. From the corner of his eyes he sees how the boys turn around, letting go of each other and turning bright red.

"No offense, Ma'am, but I bet you wouldn't talk like this about any straight couple, would you? Those two boys are _children_ , and they did nothing to offend you. Please don't make them centre of attention just because of your homophobic views", Harry answers, trying to smother the tremble in his voice. He's not quite sure wether he's upset or just really, really angry. 

"I'm just saying. I don't have anything against _gays per se_ , they just don't need to force it on us", she replies, voice aggravated. 

"You're not "just saying" anything, you're harassing two teenagers in public when they're trying to have a nice evening. Also, they were holding hands, I doubt that's defined as indecent behavior", Harry scoffs. 

"Oh my god, you need to stop making a big deal out of this! I was just saying"

Harry turns away from her, now talking to the boys at the table, who are still flushed red and looking down into their laps. Embarrassed and humiliated. 

"Hey, are you guys okay?", he asks them in a low voice, trying to shield their conversation from the eyes of the strangers in the restaurant that are watching them intently. 

The boys shrug und nod at the same time. 

"C'mon, let's go outside. You two need a bit of privacy", he tells them, then turn around to the people staring. "You can go back to your dinner now. Nothing to see here!" 

When they walk outside, Harry feels the eyes of the stranger following them. 

"I'm sorry about that woman in there, please don't take to heart what she said. She knows nothing about you, okay? I'm Harry, by the way" 

He takes a second to eye the boys. One of them is blonde, with tanned skin and round Harry Potter glasses, and an inch taller than the other boy. He's African American, with broad shoulders and wearing a sweater and shorts. 

„Thank you“ Harry Potter is the first one to find his voice again. „For what you did in there. I’m Sean, and that’s Ben“ 

It’s nothing. I did what everything in there should have done. That woman in there was really fucking rude, and you needed someone to stand up for you“, Harry explains, his hands are still shaking. 

„No, really, thank you. I would have never said anything to her, I felt like I couldn’t ever move again“, the other boy, Ben, chimes in. 

„I know, I get it. I was in the same position as you once, and I really wished someone had stood up for me then“, Harry shrugs. 

„Okay, so, I still have two pizzas in there that I need to pick up. If you want to, I could give you a ride home or something, anything“, he offers. 

„We came in my car, but thank you, again. We owe you“ 

They swap phone numbers, just because, and then Harry gets his pizzas and leaves. 

*** 

„Are you okay? You took forever to get here”, Louis accosts him as soon as he opens the door. 

„I’m fine. I texted you, the pizza took longer and then there was this woman and those two boys and she insulted them and-“

“Harry, slow down, honey. What happened?” 

So Harry tells him the entire story while they walk into Louis’s kitchen, and Louis’s face turns from worried to angry to fond and back to angry again. 

“What the hell was she thinking? Like, how old were those two? Seventeen? I’m mad and I wasn’t even there”, Louis says once Harry has finished. 

“I know, it’s just- how can someone be _this_ brash? I don’t get it, I would never say this stuff about anyone, hell, I wouldn’t even think that shit”, Harry says, running a hand through his hair. 

“That’s because you’re a genuinely nice person, Harold. You couldn’t hurt a fly, even if you wanted to” 

“I take this as a compliment, thank you very much” 

They carry their food and their drinks into Louis’s living room that consists out of a grey couch, covered with blankets and pillows, multiple chairs, a big bookshelf and a flatscreen TV. In the corner, there is a piano in front of the window. Harry wants to hear and see Louis play really badly. 

“It is. To be honest, I don’t think I would’ve said something. Not because I don’t care, or because this kind of people doesn’t upset me, it’s just- I wouldn’t have known what to say, or how to say it”

They sit down on the couch, and Harry pulls a pillow onto his lap, hugging it. 

“When me and my ex first got together, something similar happened to us. And I was older than Sean and Ben, and it still left me paralyzed with shock. And I was so mad at everyone around me for not stepping up and calling that dick – it was a man – out. Afterwards, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I would have done if it happened to someone else” 

Louis just looks at him for a second. He can feel his gaze wandering over his own face, and Harry looks back at him. His hair looks always so soft, and he’s wearing black jeans and a hoodie, like on the day they met at BuzzFeed. 

“I’m sorry”, Louis whispers, scooting closer. He places a hand in Harry’s neck, and Harry can feel this thumb softly fondling his skin. 

He smiles.

“No one should ever have to experience that. This world sucks” 

_It sucks a little less with you here_ , Harry thinks to himself, but pulls Louis closer at his waist. 

“Is this okay?”, he asks, letting out a soft breath. 

“Very”, Louis whispers, closing the gap between them as he tugs at the nape of Harry’s neck. When their lips meet, it’s soft and hesitant, and Harry’s heart races a little. 

“I thought you didn’t kiss before the first date”, he says when they break apart after that, faces still so close that Harry can spot dark blue spots in Louis’s ocean-blue eyes. 

“Consider yourself dated”, Louis says and smiles before he pulls Harry in again. 

It turns out that the video is actually funny, and they watch it twice and stop every two minutes to discuss the answers the other doctors gave. 

“In conclusion, we gave the best answers. Honest _and_ funny, what a dream come true”, Louis giggles. 

“Don’t let that ego grow over your head”, Harry says, laughing. He feels fuzzy and warm, but that might as well just be the wine. 

“D’you have more of that?”, he then asks, raising his glass. 

“I have something better”, Louis gets up and walk out of the room. 

Not even a minute later he comes back with a bottle of tequila, a lemon and a salt shaker. 

“You wanna do shots? Are you serious?”, Harry asks laughing. 

“You said you don’t have to work tomorrow, and neither do I”

“I’m in”

*** 

“Noo”, Louis drawls out. “You have to answer the question, that’s how the game works” 

“See, that’s where you’re wrong”, Harry says, giggling. “If I drink, I don’t have to answer the question”

They’re a couple shots in, both positively drunk and apparently, Louis is sick of playing _Never Have I Ever_ according to the rules. 

“But I want to know, Harold”, Louis says, trying to slap away Harry’s hand that’s reaching for his shot. 

“’M not telling you”, he answers emptying the shot in one go. “Ugh. Tequila tastes like vomit”

So far, Harry has learned that Louis has a ton of siblings that live with his mother and her husband in Doncaster, a city somewhere in England, and that Louis moved here not that long ago, still struggling with the differences and the distance, missing home. 

And Harry gets it. He was twelve when his mum, his sister and he moved to San Diego after his parents got a divorce, and he still remembers how hard it was to get accustomed to living on another continent. 

Louis also failed his A-Levels once, but he redid them and actually got a spot in medschool right away. 

“Answer. The. Question”, Louis whines. “Why did you and what was his name? Zach? Break up?”

Harry sighs. “Okay, okay, I’m telling you. We were together for two years and the better part of six months, and”, he shrugs, “I don’t know, really. We just didn’t work anymore. And neither one of us tried to change anything, I guess.

“Plus, my sister couldn’t stand him. And his parents were awful. And after two years, we never even talked about the future. It felt like we never wanted a future together, like yes, we were in a relationship and for a long time I was really happy, but I never thought about him in, like, five years. Not once did I think that I wanted to marry him or have kids with him, which is – in general – what I want. And one night, after we had a fight, Niall talked some sense into me and I broke up with him” 

While Harry was talking, Louis scooted closer to Harry, putting a hand on his leg, letting it rest there, warm and firm. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have forced you to tell me”, Louis says, and he sounds sincere and grave, not like the drunk and giggly mess he was before. 

“I would’ve told you anyway, I think”, Harry says, shrugging. “Next question” 

***

_Hungover?_

This time, Harry really is. His head puckers, and his mouth tastes like a dead cat slept in there. He took a taxi home last night, leaving his car at Louis’s place. Which also makes a great excuse to see him again. 

_How could I not be?_ , he texts back, trying to make himself get up. He fails. 

“Rise and shiiine”, Niall walks into his room, opening his blinds. 

“Fuck you, Niall”, Harry groans. “What are you, my mother?”

“No, but in case you forgot, she is coming over today”

Within two seconds, Harry is up and on his feet. “Shit, that was today?” 

“Yes, it was. How did your date go last night?” 

“Pretty good, I’d say” As he gathers up clothes from his wardrobe, he starts telling Niall about Louis and all the tequila and the drinking games. 

“Sounds like you had fun”, Niall answers, wiggling his eyebrows” 

“Shut up. I’m gonna take a shower now if you don’t mind” 

By the time Harry gets out of the shower and blow dried his hair, Niall – the saint that he is – cleaned their kitchen and living room. Not that they live in a filthy mess, but it’s not always up to mom-standard. 

“Niall Horan, you’re an angel. I love you”, Harry tells him, smacking a kiss onto his cheek. 

“Say that again” 

“Never”, Harry laughs. 

***

When his mom walks through the apartment door, Harry feels like he’s a little boy again. He just misses her a lot, okay? She hugs him really tight, and then holds him an arm-length away from her. 

“You look tired, honey. You work way too much” 

“Trust me Anne, this isn’t from working”, Niall chimes in and winks at Harry. 

“Niall, how nice to see you! How are you?”, Anne greets him, ignoring his comment. 

After that, they talk and catch up, and it’s all fun and games until Anne brings up the BuzzFeed video. 

“Harry, honey. Who is that funny guy in the video that Gemma showed me?”

He’s going to kill his sister the next time he sees her. 

“Yes, Harry, who ist that?”, Niall asks, smiling innocently. 

Harry throws him a stink-eye, and then sighs. “It’s, uhm, his name’s Louis. I met him on set the first time that day”

Harry pauses for a second, making a point of not looking at anyone. “We’re kind o dating now, I guess”, he says, shrugging. 

“Oh, baby, that’s wonderful. He seemed like a really nice guy”, Anne smiles at him, patting his knee. 

“He is”, Harry answers. 

An hour later, Anne is sitting with Niall in the living room, forcing him to look through the pictures of her last vacation while Harry’s in the kitchen cooking. Concentrating on the sauce so it doesn’t burn, he almost doesn’t hear the doorbell ringing. 

“Mom? Can you go get it? I’m kinda busy here”, he yells into the living room, wondering who it could be. 

He freezes amidst in his moves when he hears a very familiar voice. 

“Hi, Niall. Is Harry there? He forgot his-“, Louis stops in the middle of the sentence, he must’ve seen Harry’s mom. Harry immediately forgets all about the food on the stove and jumps out of the kitchen. 

And he’s right: Louis is standing in the doorframe between apartment and hallway, holding Harry’s wallet in one hand, his eyes wandering between Niall and Anne behind him. His face changes when he spots Harry walking towards them, and the next second, he’s smiling. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt. I’m Louis, I’m just here to drop Harry’s wallet off, I’ll be on my way in a second”

“What’s the rush? Please, do stay. I’m sure we have enough food for one more, don’t we?” 

_I’m sorry_ , Harry mouths to Louis as he answers. “That’s really nice, Mrs Twist. I’m-“ 

Harry doesn’t hear the rest of the sentence, because all he can think about is how Louis remembered that his mom has a different surname than him. 

Turns out that Louis wanted to stay, and as Anne is leading him into the living room, Harry overhears her talking. “Harry told me you’re a doctor too?” 

“Yeah, I work as a neurosurgeon at Good Samaritan Hospital” 

***

Overall, lunch goes well. Especially given the fact that his mother interrogated Louis, a guy whom he went on a single date with that wasn’t even really a date. 

After an espresso, Harry’s mum is on her way to a friend’s birthday which was the true reason for her visit and Niall retreats to his room to finish something for work. 

“So… You met my mom”, Harry says as he sits down on the couch beside Louis. 

“Yeah”, Louis smiles quietly. “And you told her about me” 

“About that. I’m sorry. My sister showed her the BuzzFeed video and I guess she-“ 

Louis interrupts him. “Don’t worry about that. It’s pretty cute”   
“Oh yeah?”, Harry asks, smiling. Inside of him, his heart is pounding so hard he can feel every beat in his veins. 

He watches Louis as he bites down on his lower lip, eyes wandering all over Harry’s face. In Harry’s stomach, there’s a soft tug and when he leans forward, he somehow has trouble reminding himself to keep breathing. 

He lets out a shaky breath against Louis’ face, and it’s kind of embarrassing that he gets so nervous around him. But when he looks into his eyes, they are blue and bright and he just feels oddly happy. 

For a second, they can’t really figure out their noses, and Louis lets out a soft giggle. Harry can feel the air grazing his face before he finally connects his lips with Louis’s. 

***

Autumn goes by without Harry really noticing it. He’s covered in work up to his shoulders, patients and field tests and new medications and conferences. And the times he isn’t in the hospital, he mostly spends with Louis. It’s funny how close they’ve gotten in a matter of weeks, and how safe Harry feels around him. They went on two proper dates apart from just hanging out and messing around. 

His phone rings right when he enters the locker room to get changed. Harry smiles when he sees Louis’ name appear on the display, he’s probably calling to make sure they’re still on for their night out with Liam and some other friends. 

“Hi, Lou. What’s up?” Harry’s face falls when he hears a shaky breath on the other end of the line. 

“H-hi” Louis’ voice is broken and quivering, and it makes Harry’s heart hurt. 

“Louis? Are you okay? What’s happening?”, he asks, not giving a single fuck about how his voice sounds completely frantic and how some of the other doctors are looking at him. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. I- jus’ had a tough day, y’know” Louis sounds tired and worn, and it’s not making Harry be less worried. There’s a short pause, and then: 

“Would you mind coming over? ‘Don’t wanna be alone” His voice is timid and quiet, and Harry’s insides churn. 

“Give me twenty minutes, okay? I’m leaving the hospital right now” 

***

L.A. being L.A., it takes Harry more than twenty minutes to get to the apartment. As soon as the apartment door opens, Louis’ body crashes right into him, hugging him so tight that it almost takes Harry’s breath away for a second. 

He lets his bag slump to the ground, pulling Louis in as well. 

“Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay, you’re okay”, Harry murmurs, petting Louis’ hair.   
At that moment Harry notices how the body in his arms starts trembling. What the hell is happening? 

A couple minutes go by, Harry whispers nonsense into Louis’ ear, holding him tight and softly rubbing circles on his back. 

“I’m sorry. I’m such a mess, I’m sorry” Louis whispers when he moves back a few inches. His eyes are watery and red, his cheeks flushed and hair disheveled. 

Harry just kisses his forehead. “Let’s go inside, yeah?”

Louis nods slowly but doesn’t leave Harry’s side. The latter puts the kettle on boil, and then maneuvers them into the living room, a cup of tea in each hand. 

“Lou, talk to me. What’s going on?”, Harry asks when they’re settled on the couch. 

“’Lost a patient on the table today. We did a craniotomy to clip off an aneurysm after an SAH and she didn’t make it. ‘Was a risk to go into surgery in the first place, but-“, Louis shrugs helplessly. “I just wish I could’ve _done something_ ” At that, his voice breaks again, and Harry can tell by the way he’s clenching his jaw that Louis is holding back his tears. 

“I’m so sorry”, Harry whispers, pulling him into a hug again. 

“She was just as old as Lottie”, Louis whispers, almost inaudible. 

Harry tightens his grip around Louis’ waist, wanting to take his pain away more than anything else. The thing is, when you’re a doctor, there’s going to come the moment at one point in your career where you lose a patient. You don’t ever really get used to it, but you learn to handle the pain and the grief better. But sometimes, it still really throws you off. 

“Some cases just really hit too close to home, Lou. And it’s okay, it proves that you’re human and that you still care. Sometimes, I’m scared that I lose my empathy for the patients because I often have to distance myself from their pain in order to be a good doctor.

“But the cases that are like this, the ones that hurt and make me struggle prove the opposite, and show that I need both side, y’know”, Harry tells Louis. 

“I was on-call in the E.R. tonight, and the paramedics brought her in”, Louis starts telling him in a quiet voice as he shifts around to be able to look Harry in the face. 

“She was already unconscious, and the vitals weren’t looking good either, but we did the craniotomy as our last resort. Her chances were really low from get go, and I know I did everything I could’ve done. But- 

“I was the one to tell her parents”, he then whispers. “I could watch how they just fell apart” 

***

They don’t go out with their friends that night. Harry just calls Liam and tells him that Louis isn’t exactly feeling well, even though it’s not completely true. Instead of drinking beer at a bar, they snuggle on the couch and Harry cooks mac’n’cheese as comfort food. Flipping through the channels, they settle on watching _The Intern_ and talk or occasionally make out during commercial breaks. 

*** 

The next morning, Harry is late for work. He forgot his phone, aka his alarm, in the living room last night. So naturally, he didn’t hear the alarm go off and overslept. Louis’ shift doesn’t start until nine, but Harry was supposed to be at the hospital at half past six, and now, as he’s unlocking the door to the locker rooms with his security ID, the clock says 7:05. He’s never been this late. 

“Well, well, well, look who’s decided to show up after all”, Perrie greets him at the nurse’s station. 

“I know, I know”, he sighs in response.

One of the nurses hands him a clipboard, telling him to sign off on a medication prescription on of the night shift’s doctors made. He studies it for a second, then nods and signs his name on the bottom of the paper. 

“Half an hour late for work, check. Same clothes as yesterday, check. Shirt crumpled, check. Looks like you had a nice night” Perrie wiggles her eyebrows at him, and Harry just rolls his eyes at her.

“Louis wasn’t feeling good, that’s why we also cancelled on Liam, Niall and Zayn. He had a pretty tough day yesterday, lost a patient ‘n all that”, he offers as an explanation while grabbing a different clipboard and starts making his way to his first patient of the day. 

“Oh, I didn’t know that. I’m sorry. Is he feeling better now?”, Perrie speeds up to keep step with him. 

“I think so, we didn’t really talk this morning. I didn’t hear the alarm going off, hence I’m this late”

“I take last night’s event as a hint that you didn’t talk about the boyfriend thing?”, she implores further. 

Right, the _boyfriend thing_. Even though Louis and Harry are really, really close and Harry _knows_ that he himself is falling head over heels for the guy with ocean blue eyes that wrinkle when he smiles, they never made things official. 

To be exact, they never even talked about whether they’re in a serious relationship, or if they even want that. Speaking for himself, Harry does, that’s for sure. But as safe and comfortable he is and feels around Louis, he can’t be quite sure if Louis feels the same. Harry really, really want him too. 

So no, he hasn’t talked to Louis. 

“I just don’t want to, like, scare him off”, Harry says, shrugging. 

“Oh, c’mon. He had a hard day and the first thing he does is call you, not anyone else. He met your mom after one date, you basically spend every minute you’re not here with him. I hardly doubt that asking him to be your boyfriend will scare him off”   
Harry knows she’s right, he does. But still. 

“And even if it scares him off, then you learned your lesson and won’t waste any more time on someone that ultimately doesn’t want to be with you”, she explains as she walks away from him. 

“Give him a chance”, she says and then turns away to talk to the parents of a patient. 

He thinks about it as he talks to patients, orders scans and medications and comforts parents. They’re always the toughest ones, Harry thinks to himself. No matter how strong and hopeful they are in front of their children, when they’re away from them, they start to crumble. 

“What we’re going to try now is that we will change the medications and get her on fluids again until she’s completely stable again. The surgery will have to wait for a week, maybe two. As soon as she’s better, I’ll get one of our top surgeons to look at her, I promise”, he tells the Mr. and Mrs. Lewis. 

Their daughter, Amber, is one of Harry’s favorite kids. She’s five, and an absolute badass. Her medulloblastoma has been an ongoing battle for the last six months, and after three blocks of chemotherapy, it seems to be becoming better. She’s in line for her second brain surgery, but now she’s caught an infection and has to wait until it’s gone. 

“But she’s gonna get the surgery, and then she’s going to be fine, yes?”, Mrs. Lewis asks, tears in her eyes. Harry’s heart breaks a little at that. 

“We need to wait, adjust her medications and stabilize her. We will know more in a few hours, a day tops”, he answers, offering her a small smile. 

“Promise me! You need to promise me she’s going to be fine” Her voice is growing more and more frantic, and her shoulders are starting to quiver. 

“Honey, you know Dr. Styles can’t do that”, her husband jumps in, wrapping an arm around her wait. 

“I promise you that we’ll do everything we can, your daughter is in safe hands”, Harry answers softly. 

“Your daughter is a strong one. I will update you in an hour”, he says, and then walks away. 

He wishes to the stars that he could promise Amber’s parents more, but he can’t. He can adjust medications, locate the focus of the infection and treat her with antibiotics, but he isn’t God. He can’t just whip a wand and make everyone healthy and happy again, and sometimes, that’s the hardest part of the job. No matter how hard he tries, it’s not always enough. 

*** 

“When do you get off tonight?” Louis’ voice startles Harry a little when he picks up the phone. 

“Five-ish? Depends on how the surgery of one of my patient’s goes”, he answers reluctantly. “Why?” 

“I got us tickets for the opera tonight. Y’know, as a thanks for yesterday” 

“The opera? Louis, you hate operas”, Harry says, laughing. 

“No, I don’t”, Louis exclaims, a little put out. 

“You do. Remember when we were watching TV and _La Traviata_ came on and you switched channels immediately? And then you complained for, like, half an hour about how the singers got on your nerves because their voices are too loud and high for your sensitive ears”, he recalls. It’s kind of a funny memory. 

“Well, okay. Maybe I don’t _love_ operas, but one of the night nurses had two extra tickets and she gave them to me because I told her how you’re a big ol’ sap and love operas and musicals and all that stuff” 

Harry’s heart flutters at that, and he can’t possibly hide the smile that’s growing on his face. 

“Okay, but I’ll hit you every time you make a sarcastic remark”

Louis laughs. It’s very cute. “It’s a date. I’ll pick you up at seven, dress nicely” 

“I think I know how to dress appropriately for the opera, thank you very much” 

*** 

“Niall, how do I look?”, Harry asks, stepping into the living room where Niall’s lying sprawled out on the couch, his laptop on his lap. 

He musters him for a second, and then gives a thumbs up. 

“I dig the bow tie”

Harry’s wearing a rosy tuxedo with matching vest, a white bottom up shirt and a black bow tie, that Niall seems to find the most appealing. That guy. 

He doesn’t get the chance to answer Niall, because right then Harry’s phone rings with a text from Louis, telling him that he’s waiting downstairs. 

“Have fuuun”, Niall pipes after him. 

Louis is leaning against his car when Harry walks out of the door, and it’s a picture right from a magazine or commercial for perfume. 

At some point today, Louis must’ve gotten a haircut, because the adorable messy fringe is gone, making place for shortly cut sides and longer hair on the top that dangle over his forehead. Adding on to that, he didn’t shave and in combination with his new hairdo, it makes him look a little older, and also really hot. 

He’s wearing dark blue, fitted suit that seems to bring out his eyes only further and also makes his shoulders looks broader and his waist seem slimmer.   
The short version is that Louis looks fucking _delectable_ and Harry would very much like to go back upstairs with him and- Harry stops his train of thoughts right there. 

“Hey there”, he says instead, swallowing hard. “You look good”

He takes the last few steps towards Louis, pulling him close by the waist. 

“Thanks, you too”, Louis answers, wetting his lips. Harry watches as his eyes wander over his face, eyes, nose, cheekbones and then finally settles on Harry’s lips. 

He leans in to connect their lips. Louis’ hands wander into Harry’s hair, and he applies more pressure to Louis’ waist, which causes him to stumble back until he bumps into the side of his car. 

“We- We need to stop. Or we’ll never get to the opera”, Louis breathes in between two kisses, and Harry just nods, before he leans in again. 

They only have to jog a little to make it inside the opera in time, and the ticket lady just looks at them a tad disapprovingly before she nods and shows them their seats. 

During the entire first half, Louis stays surprisingly quiet and just taps along to the songs he likes with the thumb of the hand that he’s placed on top of Harry’s knee. Whenever he turns to look at his face for a reaction to the play, Louis smiles fondly again and squeezes his thigh. 

When the lights go on again and announce a twenty minute break, Harry leans over to place a kiss on Louis’ shoulder, who smiles brightly and places his hand on the small of his back as they get up. 

“You two are really adorable”, a voice behind them announces. Looking over, Harry spots an elderly lady behind them. 

“Thank you”, Harry tells her. 

“I wish you and your husband the best of luck”, she answers, nodding. 

“Oh, we’re not-“, Louis jumps in, cheeks flushing. 

“Not yet”, the old lady winks. “But I know love when I see it”

Harry’s never thought about that. Jesus, he hasn’t even brought up the courage to ask Louis to be his boyfriend yet. But when they lock eyes, Harry’s heart races and he can tell by the crinkles by Louis’ eyes that he feels the same, and he might just be head over heels completely gone for the boy in front of him. 

“I’ll get us something to drink, yeah? Do you want champagne?”, Louis asks when they’ve made it out of the auditorium, the old lady lost in the crowd of people. 

“Sounds good”, Harry answers, kissing Louis’ cheek and letting go of his hand. Louis smiles back at him, and then makes his way through the masses of people. 

Harry leans against a pillar and uses the time to text back his sister, who had sent him a picture of her cat while he was at work. 

“Harry. Didn’t expect seeing you here” Harry jumps at the voice behind him, and swivels around. For a second, he’s speechless. Right in front of him, there’s Zach. His ex. Whom he hasn’t seen since they broke up. 

“Christ, you startled me”, Harry says, pressing on hand to his chest to calm down his racing heart. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. How are you?” 

Harry takes a moment to take Zach’s appearance in. His hair is till black and curly, but he’s gotten new glasses in the time they haven’t seen each other. 

“I’m good, I’m very good”, Harry answers, tight smile on his lips. He isn’t sure about how to deal with this situation. “It’s nice to see you”, he says in an afterthought, he doesn’t want to be rude. 

“Yeah, I think so too. Although it’s a tad unexpected”, Zach laughs and cocks his head a little. 

“Are you here with anyone?”, Harry asks. He doesn’t know why. 

“With my sister, if that counts. Look, if you’d want to catch a little, you could come with us to a bar around the corner. That is, if you’re not here with anyone?” 

Harry is a little taken aback by the question but doesn’t have time to answer, because someone else does. 

“He’s here with his boyfriend, thank you”, Louis says in a tight voice.

Harry looks over to him who suddenly appeared at his side in surprise. Zach seems to be just as surprised by the statement as Harry feels, and cocks his eyebrows. 

“That one’s yours, babe”, Louis then says in a quiet voice to Harry, handing over a champagne flute. 

Harry mouths a _thank you_ and feels himself melting into Louis’ touch where he wrapped his arm around Harry’s waist. 

He turns his attention back to Zach, who still looks a little puzzled. “Right. Lou, this is Zach. Zach, meet Louis, my boyfriend” Harry can’t hide a smile when he says that, and glances over to Louis, who is still frowning. 

“Nice to meet you”, Louis says, and Harry can tell by the tone of his voice that he’s just nice because he has to be. 

They shake hands, exchange a few awkward sentences and then Zach excuses himself and leaves. 

“That’s your ex, then”, Louis states as soon as he’s out of hearing range. 

“Boyfriend, huh?”, Harry asks with a smirk, ignoring Louis’ pervious sentence. 

“Shut up”, Louis says, rolling his eyes and Harry cackles. 

“Didn’t know you’re the jealous type”, Harry teases, and then pauses. “But I’d very much like to be your boyfriend”

“Yeah?” Louis’ eyes lights up. 

“Yeah”, Harry answers, and kisses him. 

In the second half of _The Magic Flute_ , Louis can’t hold back his remarks anymore. He laughs about the stupid lyrics and complains about how he has to read the subtitles, because _They are in America, why should I watch an opera in German? Did nobody have the idea to translate the songs?_. Harry just rolls his eyes at him but can’t hide his faith. 

When Pamina is about to commit suicide on stage, Harry notices how Louis tightens his grip around Harry’s hand and how he releases a relieved breath when the child-spirits stop her. He doesn’t mention it, though. 

“Thank you, Lou. I loved it”, Harry tells him when they’re walking towards the staircase afterwards. 

“I’m glad you did”, Louis replies, raising their intertwined hands to his mouth, placing a kiss on the back of Harry’s hand. 

Harry’s about to ask him how he liked it but is interrupted by a piercing scream, and then a loud banging noise, followed by a tumult and loud voices. 

He searches for Louis’ eyes and when he finds them, they are wide and searching their environment frantically. 

The next moments go by in a blur. He hears someone yelling for a doctor, and then Louis and him are running down the stairs, almost tripping over their own feet. 

At the bottom off the steps, there is a big crowd around someone who’s laying on the floor. 

“Let us through, we’re doctors, c’mon guys”, Louis yells behind him while Harry pushes through the people. 

In front of him, the people make space for them, and for a split second, Harry’s breath catches. A girl, maybe seventeen or eighteen, is laying on the marble floor. Her left foot is sticking to the side in a weird angle, and there’s blood running down her temple. 

Working in a hospital and having been an intern in an E.R., Harry has seen by far worse things, but broken body parts still creep him out somehow. 

He catcher himself again, and crouches down next to the girl. 

“Hi there. I’m Harry, and that’s Louis. We’re doctors, we’ll stay with you until the paramedics arrive, okay?”

“It hurts”, the girl whimpers, silent tears streaming down her face. 

“I know it does”, Harry says and takes her hand. A look over his shoulder tells him that Louis started patting down her spine to look for unstable parts. 

“Can you tell me your name?”, he asks. 

“B-Bernadette” A second later, her face deforms into a grimace of pain. “Stop, that hurts”, she cries. 

Another look to Louis. He’s arrived at her pelvis and shakes his head at Harry. Shit. He knows what this means. There’s something broken, too. 

“I’m sorry Bernadette, but we need to make sure your body is okay. I promise you, Louis is trying to be as gentle as possible”, he tells her and she nods slowly. 

“Do you know what happened?” 

“’Think so. I twisted my ankle and fell down the stairs” 

“The entire flight?”, Harry asks, trying to conceal the shock in his voice. 

“Pretty much”

“Can someone get me a first aid kit? And a blanket?”, Louis yells over the rummaging voices of the bystanders. Then, he leans down to Harry, whispering. 

“Her foot is going to be fine, there’s still a pulse. They just have to put it in the right position at the hospital, but I think her pelvis might be fractured, left side. Probably the sacrum, but we have no way of knowing without a scan. How long until the paramedics are here?”

“I have no clue”, Harry answers in the same quiet voice. “But if it’s really fractured, she might go into shock any second, or there could be internal bleedings…” 

“I know, I know. But there’s nothing we can really do until the ambulance arrives”, he sighs. “Bernadette? Do you have any pain in your legs, apart from your ankle?” 

“No, not really. Feels weird, a little tingly” 

Someone hands Harry a first aid kid, and he pulls out gauze and dressing. 

“This might hurt a little, but it’s going to stop your forehead from bleeding, okay?” 

By the time he’s dressed the wound and Louis stabilized Bernadette’s pelvis and her ankle, the paramedics have arrived. They get her on a stretcher and run her into the ambulance, Harry and Louis following in lockstep. 

“Can your driver get us to Good Sam?”, Louis asks one of the paramedics, who just nods. 

*** 

They get back to Harry’s apartment at one in the morning. They stayed for a while at the hospital to wait for test results and then for an update on the emergency surgery. 

“Harold, carry me up the stairs. I don’t think I’ll make it all the way up to the top”, Louis is clearly joking, but one look at his face tells Harry how tired he really is. 

“You can do it, I believe in you”, he replies and takes his hand, entangling their fingers. 

The apartment is dark and quiet when Harry unlocks the door, Niall must have gone to bed already. Kind of early for a Friday night, Harry thinks to himself. He remembers the nights where he and Niall would sit in the living room and talk or play video games for hours and hours. 

“C’mon babe, let’s get you to bed”, he whispers to Louis as he redirects him to his own bedroom. 

“Please. I’m so tired, I can’t feel my face anymore”

“I doubt that that’s healthy”, Harry says giggling and helps Louis to take of his jacket. “D’you want a tea?”

Louis just nods. 

By the time Harry gets back from the kitchen with a cup of tea in his hands, Louis is already curled up underneath the sheets, fast asleep.

He watches him for a second, taking in everything about him. In the light of Harry’s bedside lamp, his skin looks soft and his hair fluffy. Louis sighs in his sleep, and Harry’s heart jumps a little at that. When he rolls on his back, the duvet slips a little and reveals Louis’ chest tattoo. _It Is What It Is_. 

As he gets into bed to Louis, wrapping his arms around him and taking in the smell of his perfume, Harry ponders about that. _It Is What It Is_. It might just be love, Harry thinks to himself.


End file.
